


An Apple So Red

by MsSirEy



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Animal Transformation, F/F, Mild Blood, Red Queen - Freeform, a different version of the first curse, graphic transformation, will have smut in a later chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-10-15 07:20:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17524307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsSirEy/pseuds/MsSirEy
Summary: The curse is newly broken, but for Ruby Lucas, memories are in short supply. As the moonlight triggers a change she is unprepared for, she finds herself on the doorstep of the one person all fingers point to: Regina Mills.





	An Apple So Red

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MeiWan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeiWan/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t mind me, just taking a little jaunt into the Once Upon a Time verse. This is a gift (and not a pile of ash), but everyone feel free to enjoy!

Of course she knew the significance of the basket, just as everyone else did. It was a warning dressed up like an offering, and it sent whispers through those gathered. Everyone had their suspicions about what form their doom would take or how soon it would come, but the consensus was that it was on its way.

For Ruby it held a different significance, one rooted in personal matters--memories just out of her grasp, but weighted with import.

The town was in chaos, after the curse had broken just days earlier. Everyone had memories of another life, all involving the residents of Storybrooke. Some had even adopted their other names, or titles. Many had entirely differing relationships with people between their two lives, and it brought a mess of confusion.

The basket of apples could only have come from one person, Regina Mills, but the name on everyone’s lips was her other name. The Evil Queen.

Ruby's memories were less forthcoming, riddled with holes and sparse on details. And Granny had no information to offer beyond their names and stations, but Ruby suspected that was not the whole of it. She could tell things were different, especially with her body. She noticed it in the way she struggled less when accommodating the whole of the dwarves' orders in a single trip. She noticed it when she could tell the milk had soured before opening the bottle. She noticed how she could hear every word in the diner that was above a whisper.

When she tried to point it out, Granny seemed as confused as she was. It left Ruby frustrated.

As her shift closed, she wanted to get away from the raucous crowd. She ducked out the back and wandered away from the noise. She felt calmer with distance and glanced toward the night sky. The moon was full and large in the sky. Ruby stood transfixed, draw in by its glow. The peace of it was interrupted by a sharp pain in her chest. Her blood ran cold and the hairs on her neck stood on end.

She grunted as she felt her pulse in her skull, heavy and quick. She turned toward the diner, but was hit by a wave of nausea at the idea of being in that crowd. A breeze swept over her and that faint smell of apple brought a name to mind.

Regina Mills.

* * *

The crash of her hand against the door was harder than she had intended, but it was difficult to keep track of distance between things as different parts of her body felt like they might tear apart. She had wanted to stand tall when the door swung wide, but a flare of pain in her shoulders had her gritting her teeth and letting out a strangled gasp.

“Ruby Lucas.” Her name was said with mild disdain, as Regina looked her over. “You don’t look well.”

“This--whatever this is, fix it,” Ruby huffed between bouts of pain. She didn’t have a clear sense of what would help, but Regina was the only person she could think of that might.

“There is nothing to be done. Take your affliction elsewhere.”

Ruby didn’t register her impulse before she was in motion, but then her hand was around Regina’s throat and closing tight. She bared her teeth—another whim she couldn’t place, but that felt so natural in the moment. “I know who you are,” the words felt like gravel in her throat.

Regina smiled thinly, her back straight, her eyes unwavering, but there was a new scent on her. Fear. “I can’t help you,” she hissed.

Ruby reflexively squeezed and Regina’s fingers pried feebly at her hand. Ruby could feel the quickened pulse, and the rush of warmth. “Why not?”

A crack in her jaw spent a splotch of white through Ruby’s vision and her hand shifted from Regina’s neck to her shoulder. Ruby propped her weight against the woman, who eyed her with cautious curiosity. “Your ailment is magical and I have no magic.”  Ruby sagged as regret settled heavy in her stomach. Of course she would risk going to The Evil Queen only to have it be fruitless. “I do have one solution.”

“Name it,” Ruby urged.

Regina pulled open the collar of her blazer to reveal a pendant on a chain of silver. “This inhibits my magic, even now that the curse crumbles.” Ruby narrowed her eyes, prompting Regina to continue. “I can’t remove it, but if you did, we could use it to keep the magic that haunts you at bay.”

Ruby faltered and stepped back. She could not weigh the risk of giving Regina her magic fast enough. “Give me another solution.”

Anything she might have said to reinforce her decision was drowned out by the scream that ripped from her lungs. She doubled over as her spine jarred sharply upward and her ribs strained against the flesh that confined them.

“I don’t have anything else,” Regina hissed, the words hurried.

Ruby blinked to clear her vision. She saw the tension in Regina’s posture and the way her eyes darted toward the exits. Ruby hesitated. She didn’t have much contact with Regina while in Storybrooke, but even without her memories, she was wary about The Evil Queen.

As her legs threatened to give out, she stumbled forward. “Don’t make me regret this.” Ruby gripped Regina by the shoulders and forced her to turn around. “It’s like any other necklace, right?”

“Yes,” Regina rushed, “just undo the latch.”

Ruby lifted the chain from Regina’s neck as the stiffness of her posture became more apparent. The bones within Ruby’s fingers splintered and she howled. She watched in horror as her knuckles reformed, while fur sprouted and claws began to protrude. She couldn’t maneuver the chain, couldn’t get her fingers to cooperate, and it fell from her grasp.

Ruby’s legs fractured and she crumpled to the floor. “Ruby!” Regina spun and hovered above her, looking on as Ruby’s body mangled and reshaped itself. “You have to remove the chain.”

“I can’t,” Ruby grunted. “My hands, they won’t-“ Her words were cut off as her nose jutted outward from her face. She squeezed her eyes shut as her back arched and twisted.

Everything happened faster and she couldn’t track all of the pain as it emerged. She forgot where she was and who was in her company. Soon all of her sensations melted together, and then as she thought she might die, everything eased.

Pain gave way to awareness, first of her being—strong and solid—and then of her surroundings. She was flooded with unfamiliar observations. There was the overwhelming smell of unnatural wood and stone, manipulated by the hand of man. It was everywhere, entombing her. There were other smells—stale vegetation and still water. A cross breeze carried the scent of fresh grass, but also the stain of man’s pollution. She heard the hum of a computer and the creak of trees in the yard. Well beyond her enclosure were voices and machines, distorted by distance.

And close to her was an organic smell, warm with life, and tinged with that hint of apple that was reminiscent of a defining moment in her other life.

Ruby opened her eyes and was greeted by the view of paws where she knew her hands to be. The sight of it was both disconcerting and peaceful, as she began to recognize a different set of instincts and a different consciousness within her.

She turned her eyes toward the figure she knew to be present. With the absence of color warping her vision, she realized that she’d seen the human in this way before. Except this time she knew her name.

* * *

The wolf had ventured into the area because it lacked the smell of other predators. She had thought it would be a good place to run, to burn the energy she had pent up. And it had been, until the tool of man caught her in its jaws.

Metal twisted in flesh and scraped against bone. There was nothing else she knew, her vision clouded by the ache that pulsed through her whole body. Every searing moment urged her to struggle, but each time she jerked against the trap’s hold, the pain flared and she descended further into confusion and desperation.

She lost touch with her understanding of what held her, or why she would know what that trap was. Instinct drove her other voice deeper, buried it beneath the pain and fear--it was only a distraction.

As she drew up her will to survive and her senses flooded, she became aware of the approach of some creature that tickled her nose. She couldn’t put a name to the crisp, sweet scent. It was not born of blood and was not natural to the forest. She tried to remain still, but her efforts were her undoing as her muscle tensed against the metal teeth of the trap.

She growled as the figure became more apparent in the distance, moving through the trees. She did not want to let on her predicament. She could only hope to frighten the creature away before it learned of the way she was snared. The moon did not smile upon her that night, and the figure continued its approach, undeterred by her deepening snarls.

“You are in the wrong woods,” the words were not loud, but they carried through the air like they were meant to reach only her ears.

The creature was human, and that set her more on edge, the fur of her back standing on end. She tried to take a step back, but the stakes kept the trap secured. She whimpered as she thought her flesh might tear from her bone.

The human had kept to the shadows, its features distorted in the dark. “I wondered why you had not fled,” the human mused and finally stepped out into the clearing. Her clothes were dark and long, and reminded the wolf of shadows playing against the human’s skin. “You poor beast.”

In her hand was a basket, its craftsmanship irrelevant to the wolf. In it were orbs with skin that held a bit of shine. She recognized them as the origin of the scent, a breeze confirming it. The distant voice in her head provided them a name. Apples.

The voice found the basket significant. Apples were not for common folk. To the wolf that meant one thing: if the human before her was a hunter, she hunted for sport. And humans that hunted for sport were some of the cruelest.

The basket was set upon the ground at the edge of the clearing and the human continued to advance. The wolf sensed the danger and snapped its teeth, a warning that rang clear through the trees.

“Steady, beast. I can help you,” the human cooed, hand extended with the palm exposed. The wolf sniffed it and then turned its eyes toward the human’s face. “Oh, you are not merely a wolf,” the human noted as their eyes met.

The wolf was uncertain, but watched as the human lowered herself to examine the trap.

“I must determine if removing the metal will do additional harm,” she explained, fingers delicately moving aside fur to expose the site of puncture.

The air around the human changed as she looked upon angry, seeping flesh. There was a buzz of energy that made the wolf’s fur stand and waver. “Filthy trappers and their toys, leaving their catch to suffer until death. And on my land,” the human bristled. “I should flay the lot of them.”

It was anger and it was unrest, and it left the wolf feeling unsettled. It seemed the only thing to do was to calm the human and that prompted the wolf to lick the human’s hand.

The energy dissipated rapidly and the wolf felt more at ease. The human stroked the fur of the wolf’s snout and smiled. “There shall be no more blood this night,” she promised. And with a flick of her hand, the wolf felt the sudden absence of the trap.

Confusion overwhelmed the wolf, but the human urged it to stay. “You are not the only one touched by magic,” the human explained. Fingers twisted in the air and the gape of the wounds sewed shut. It was foreign to the wolf, but as the pain lessened, there seemed no question that it should continue.

“There,” the human said as the fur lay even over what was once mangled. “Test your weight upon it.”

The wolf did, and was pleased to find the muscle and flesh hold. But then there was the matter of the voice within the wolf that nagged about the debt owed. There would be a cost.

The wolf’s ears flattened, but the human just looked pleased. “You should travel that way,” she pointed off through the trees, away from both where she came and where she headed. “If you touch one of my horses, I will gut you.”

The wolf bowed its head low and took the opportunity to leave, unsure that it would last.

“Remember me,” the human called, and the wolf never forgot.

* * *

Before Regina stood a massive wolf with a dark coat. Its shoulders were about as high as her own and glowing golden eyes looked down at her. It was those eyes and that glow that had clued her in to the magical nature of the beast, all those years ago.

“Hey now,” she cooed as the wolf took a step forward and raised her hand defensively between them. A wet nose pressed to her palm and she saw the recognition in the wolf’s eyes. She chuckled nervously. “It really is you.”

The wolf exhaled sharply and nudged its head into her hand, prompting her to scratch behind its ear for a moment.

“And what of Ruby? Are you still in there?”

The wolf’s lips pulled back a little, but then it gave a curt nod.

“Interesting.”

The wolf rolled its eyes.

Regina just shrugged. When her heart had slowed, she shifted slowly around the wolf, its eyes tracking her steadily. Once she was no longer between the wolf and the wall, she moved to close her front door, still ajar from when Ruby had arrived.

The wolf growled deeply.

“Ruby, you are a wolf in a town of people who fear magic and literally anything that doesn’t look like them,” she explained, “and I doubt the effects you are experiencing will wear off before morning.” It was in her best interest to help the wolf, she had determined. “You are safest if you stay the night, while it passes.” She shook her head when the wolf looked away. It was odd how it felt like an actual conversation. “You can thank me later.”

Regina moved down the hall. She found it more than a little disconcerting how the towering creature followed so close behind her. She had meant to spend more time on research that evening, but with Ruby’s lingering gaze, she felt more exhausted than usual. And with a wolf beside her, she could maybe rest easy.

“I’m going to make it an early night. You should go out... in the yard.” Regina was glad to see Ruby nod, not wanting to have to further clarify. “I’ll fetch you when I am done getting ready for bed.” She opened the back door for Ruby, who bolted out, tail wagging. “Stay the fuck away from my orchard,” she called after the wolf.

When she opened the door once more, minutes later, Ruby trotted in, tongue lolling and eyes bright. “If you ripped up my yard, I will have you put down,” Regina warned, but as Ruby entered and she was forced to press herself against the wall to spare enough room, Regina reminded herself not to antagonize Ruby while she was a wolf. Ruby’s tail slapped against her face as the wolf passed and mischievous golden eyes looked back at her. Then again, maybe the wolf could use the antagonizing.

“Go upstairs,” she ordered with a grumble.

Regina followed at a safe distance, as she directed Ruby to the right room.

“There is a bowl of water in the bathroom,” she indicated toward the door off the bedroom and Ruby took a long drink. Regina settled herself in bed. “I put out a blanket for you,” she said when Ruby returned. “I was unprepared for housing a wolf.”

Ruby stepped onto the blanket and spun a few times, but then sat facing Regina, golden eyes fixated. A soft whine cut through the silence.

“No.” Regina knew what was being demanded. “Absolutely not.”

Ruby padded softly over to the edge of the bed. She ducked her head to settle her chin against the duvet. Sad eyes looked up at Regina, accompanied by another whine.

With her eyes shut tight, Regina sighed. “You owe me clean bedding.”

Ruby yipped happily and leapt easily onto the bed. Regina scooted over to one side to account for Ruby’s massive size. Ruby curled up at her side after only one rotation, her back against much of Regina’s hip and leg.

By the time Regina turned off the light, Ruby was already snoring softly. Regina followed suit shortly after.

She woke once early in the night when she realized that Ruby produced a lot of heat and she needed to abandon her top comforter. It took some effort to get the sleepy wolf to move enough that she could maneuver the blanket off the bed and when she laid back, a giant wolf head settled on her stomach. She did not care enough to protest and soon descended into sleep once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, I am thinking this will include three parts (at least one of which will be contain smut), but honestly, who fucking knows? Bearing in mind that this is not my primary fandom, if you want to find me on tumblr, here ya go: @mssirey


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